This series is quite a departure from my previous books, which are largely factual and based on science. Like my character, Daniel, for many years I thought astrology was bunk. It wasn’t until I met a Shaman-Reiki Master who taught astrology that I had to open my mind and allow for the possibility that if he didn’t think astrology was ridiculous, it might not be.

I went to his two hour introductory astrology class one wintry Saturday afternoon and emerged a new person. I had been given the barest glimpse of astrology and I was anxious to learn more. I had no clue it would be the most difficult and complex field of study I could imagine. It is also mind-blowing.

Astrology doesn’t ask that you believe anything. Once you have a basic understanding of what the planets, signs, and houses mean, all you have to do is observe the world for yourself to see how it works. Keep in mind, the planets don’t ‘make’ us do anything. It is more along the line that the planets are within us, and we are doing ourselves.

To get an idea of the complexity of astrology, you need to get past sun signs. The sun in a chart actually tells more about your interests in life, rather than your character. You can’t just look at the sign either, you have to look at the house where the sun is placed, the house it rules, the planet that rules it, and all the planets that are in communication (aspect) with it. Only when you have this information are you in a position to address what the sun is really up to. Add the rest of the planetary line-up and the result is a multifaceted and often warring aggregate that explains the inconsistencies, conflicts, and talents that characterize all humans.

My goal in writing this series is to show (not tell) the unmistakable wonder of astrology in action. There is no getting around the fact that experiencing the planets in the outer and inner world points to a mysterious connection (which Jung called synchronicity) that binds both the animate and inanimate together in a manner that reflects the Buddhist understanding of: ‘all in one, and, one in all …’ What a world this could be if we lived as if this were so.

Kathy T. Kale is an award-winning, best-selling author (Amazon) and a member of the Mystery Writers of America. She is a certified professional astrologer who has counseled, written, lectured, and taught classes in astrology. She has a PhD in toxicology and did post-doctoral work in infectious immunology. She lived in Africa for over a decade and has worked as a freelance science writer and editor. She studied creative writing at Humber College and the University of Iowa, and screen writing at Indian River State College. Originally from Toronto, she now lives in warm, sunny Florida. She has written Black Death in a New Age, Gold Street, and Harm. Visit her at www.kathykale.com to learn more about other novels, and the ideas and concerns that spawned their genesis.